Sense of urgency greets Eagles' recruits

February 07, 2013|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NCAAF Team Report - Eastern Michigan - INSIDE SLANT

The Eastern Michigan football program added 21 recruits in 2013, and they'll come in and immediately feel the tension in the air. This program needs to win, and the pressure is on everyone to make that happen.

The Eagles are preparing for their fifth year under Ron English, the former Michigan assistant who is still chasing that elusive first winning season.

The recruiting class of 2013 will certainly be called on to help get the Eagles back on track in their quest to elevate this long-struggling program, especially a pair of quarterbacks who look to have the necessary credentials to add some much-needed punch to the offense.

QB Brogan Roback comes from the Toledo powerhouse St. John's Jesuit and should be able to provide some passing might with his pro-style skills and 6-4 frame. He can throw the deep ball, throw on the run, and uses his athleticism to make something happen when the play breaks down. Roback resisted offers from several higher profile programs in order to join the Eagles.

QB Brandon Bossard is a solid 6-2 and 200 pounds and was a four-year starter in high school. He finished his career with more than 3,700 yards passing and 37 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 1,500 yards and 16 more touchdowns.

"Both of those quarterbacks are outstanding," English said. The duo is expected to immediately press incumbent QB Tyler Benz for work with the first unit.

The new Eagles will have a more creative look on offense at their disposal with the addition of Stan Parrish as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Parrish has 36 years of experience in the college and pro ranks, including time as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL.

English, who has posted records of 0-12, 2-10, 6-6 and 2-10 in his four seasons in Ypsilanti, says he is excited about what the addition of Parrish and the new recruits might provide.

"We're recruiting the right kids, we have good talent, we were young last year so I'm really fired up about incorporating a couple of these newcomers and our team really taking off," English said.

TOP OF THE CLASS

QB Brogan Roback (St. John's Jesuit, Toledo, Ohio) -- This offense needs passing punch, and the 6-4, 180-pound Roback should provide it. He comes from a strong program at St. John's Jesuit in Toledo and is accurate with his throws. A number of higher-profile programs were interested in Roback and his pro-style approach.

DB Jaleel Canty (Everett, Lansing, Mich.) -- After originally committing to Cincinnati, Canty was back on the map after a new coaching staff took over with the Bearcats and suggested Canty keep looking due to a shortage of scholarships. Canty had 27 tackles, eight interceptions and five punt returns for touchdowns as a senior.

DE Deshai Powell (Lawrence Central, Indianapolis) -- The 6-3, 245-pound Powell helped his team to a 15-0 record as a senior with 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks. For his career, Powell had 75 tackles and 10 sacks.

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NCAAF Team Report - Eastern Michigan - NOTES, QUOTES

--The signal that the status quo was no longer acceptable was heard in early December, when Eastern Michigan head coach Ron English fired his friend and long-time assistant Ken Karcher. Karcher's offense averaged only 21 points per game last season. He had been the Eagles' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since English took over the program in 2008.

--One of the most pressing needs for the Eagles is replacing P Jay Karutz, who ranked second in the MAC and 27th nationally with 42.74 yards per punt in the 2012 season. The native of Australia was a two-time Ray Guy Award candidate who knocked 24 punts inside the 20-yard line last season and had 12 punts of 50 yards or better. His 2,949 yards via the punt in the 2012 campaign rank fourth most in Eastern Michigan history.

--The Eagles took a wide view of recruiting this time around, taking players at 11 different positions and from eight different states. Oddly enough, six new Eagles are from Indiana, with just three of the recruits from Michigan.

SPRING SNAPSHOT

Practice priorities: The Eagles have demonstrated that they can run the football. Eastern Michigan rushed for 1,960 yards and 13 touchdowns on 448 carries last season, ranking 61st in the nation and marking a third straight season with more than 1,900 yards rushing. The Eagles need to come out of spring ball with a much-improved passing attack that will produce more points. They had just 19 touchdowns via the pass in 2012 and averaged less than 13 yards per reception.

The Eagles dropped to 2-10 in 2012, which was a huge disappointment after working their way up to a 6-6 mark in the previous season. The task at hand, starting with the first day of spring workouts, is to find some way to forge a winning season.